The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

Sword to inspire Perth's Anzac march

A sword belonging to one of Australia's most inspiring battlefield commanders will be the centrepiece of the Anzac Day march in Perth.

Brigadier Arnold Potts, who commanded the brigade that held back the Japanese advance during bitter fighting on the Kokoda Trail in World War II, wore the sword when he received a Military Cross decoration from King George V at Buckingham Palace in 1916 for serving on the Western Front.

The sword will be held by his successor Lieutenant Colonel Rhogan Aitken, commanding officer of the Royal Western Australia Regiment's 16th Battalion, as he leads his troops through the city's streets.

Lt Col Aitken said the sword would inspire them with the Anzac spirit and keep alive the memory of the Kojonup farmer and military hero, affectionately known as Pottsy.

Brig Potts' grandson will formally present the sword to the battalion at Irwin Barracks after the march.

The march will begin at 9.30am (WST) at the corner of St Georges Terrace and William Street, winding up at Supreme Court Gardens, where a commemorative service will be held until 11am (WST).

It will follow the dawn service at the State War Memorial at Kings Park, where some 40,000 people will see a flyover of Hawk Mk127 jets.

Related Articles

The jets, based at RAAF Base Pearce in Perth's north, will fly at up to 833km/h - taking only three minutes to get from Kings Park to the Fremantle War Memorial.

Among the dawn services held around the state, the Albany event is historically the most significant, given it was the place where thousands of Australian and New Zealand troops departed for Gallipoli, via Egypt, in 1914.

Projects to mark the centenary, including upgrades to the Anzac memorial at Mount Clarence and the construction of the Anzac Interpretive Centre next to Mount Adelaide's Submariners Memorial Lookout, are gathering pace.

The centre needs to be finished by November 1 next year, when there will be a re-enactment of the departure of ships from King George Sound.